A detective story has three main elements: the presence of a mystery, someone in need of answers, and someone who is willing to dig for those answers. The Sherlock Holmes story “The Adventures of the Speckled Band” is faceted in all three ways. Ms. Stoner is terribly distressed over her sister’s mysterious death, and finds herself falling into a similar situation. She goes to Holmes, a man renowned for his detective abilities, and requests that he solves her dilemma. Of course, Holmes happily accepts.
Some other expected conventions present in “The Adventures of the Speckled Band” are found in the characters themselves. Ms. Stoner is the madam in distress, and her step-father, Dr. Roylott, is the angry antagonist. Sherlock Holmes as a detective is hungry for answers, and very good at finding them, and Watson, the story teller, can be compared to a scholar presenting his research in writing. Watson draws on his first hand experience as Holmes assistant, as well as upon discussions with Holmes bringing together a complete picture of Ms. Stoner’s predicament, and presents it to us in an interesting, detailed, and informative way.
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